Abtaha Maqsood: Chotland leg- spinner will make his debut in the Hundred
Abraham Maqsood, the daughter of Pakistani immigrants from Scotland, stole the headlines on Friday when she made her Women’s hundred debut for Birmingham Phoenix in their opening match against the London Spirit in Edgbaston, Birmingham.
The 22-year-old leg-spinner, who boasts a T20I average with the ball of just 10.84, was a last-minute registration for the competition.
After Birmingham Phoenix posted a total of 128/6 in their allotted 100 balls, Maqsood played her part with the ball in the second innings, bowling five balls and conceding seven runs. London Spirit eventually won the contest by three wickets, chasing down the target with four balls left to spare.
Despite her team’s loss, Maqsood was hailed on social media for setting an example for other Muslim women who want to take up the sport as their profession. Maqsood, who has a black belt in Taekwondo, was also a flag-bearer at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014 and has been interviewed by BBC and Sky Sports in the past.
Maqsood started her cricketing story as an eleven-year-old at Pollock Cricket Club in Glasgow, before which she used to train with her brother.
After making her U17 debut at the age of 12, she broke into the senior Scotland side at the tender age of 14. Over the years, she has established herself as a top bowling option, picking up 19 wickets in 14 T20I innings with a best of 3/8.
She used to be teammates with England leg-spinner Kirstie Gordon when she used to play for Scotland between 2012 and 2017.
